:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/46547546/GOT510_110514_HS__DSC0135_1_.0.0.jpg)
The final episode of Game of Thrones' fifth season was illegally downloaded more than 1.5 million times in the first eight hours after it aired and broke the all time record for the most people sharing a single file at one time, reports TorrentFreak.
"Never before have we seen this many downloads in such a short period of time," says TorrentFreak, "and last year it took half a day to reach the same number. Based on this figure, the download count is expected to increase to more than 10 million during the days to come."
This marks the second time this season that the show has broken piracy records (records previously set by Game of Thrones itself), despite the existence of HBO Now. HBO Now, launched just in time for the premiere of Game of Thrones season five, was expected — or at least hoped — to put a dent in the pirate audience for the show by providing a legal way to watch to people without a premium cable television package. The hard numbers would seem to say otherwise.
